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Kyle’s Pick cherries shipping from Washington

Starting about a week earlier than last year, Stemilt Growers LLC will begin packing Kyle’s Pick pouch bags in early July.

The premium cherry program will be offered through July and into early August, according to a news release from the Wenatchee, Wash.-based company.

“Kyle’s Pick cherries are the perfect way to keep the momentum going on cherries after the big Fourth of July holiday,” Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl said in the release.

“The Kyle’s Pick seal on every bag is a mark to signify the high-quality cherries inside, which consumers recognize," Pepperl said in the release." A great cherry eating experience turns into a second great experience, and Kyle’s Pick cherries are proven to drive repeat sales during an important time for the cherry category.”

Named after Stemilt co-owner and 4th generation cherry grower Kyle Mathison, Kyle’s Pick cherries found broad acceptance during their launch in 2013, according to the release. Bigger volumes and strong growing conditions this year should lead to greater retail opportunities this year.

Using optical sorting technology, Stemilt can set can set firmness, size, and sugar level standards. The company also reserves premium varieties, including Hill bings, sweetheart, skeena, and staccato, for Kyle’s Pick cherries, according to the release.

“Skeena cherries will be the featured variety in Kyle’s Pick bags in the coming weeks,” Pepperl said in the release. “It’s a variety that likes to grow large, firm, and has incredible dessert flavors.”

Stemilt will pack the random-weight Kyle’s Pick pouch bag throughout the month of July and into early August, according to the release. Once Mathison begins harvesting cherries at his high-elevation orchards, called Amigos, Stemilt will pack its second pouch bag in the Kyle’s Pick program series, called Half Mile Closer to the Moon, according to the release.

The high-elevation location of the Amigos orchard allows Mathison to harvest Moon cherries into late August, which is also later than anyone else in Washington State.

“For every 100-foot increase in vertical elevation, cherry harvest is pushed back one day,” Kyle Mathison said in the release. “At Amigos, we’re farming cherries between 2,800 and 3,200 feet above sea level — literally a half mile closer to the moon.”

Both Kyle’s Pick in July and August and Moon cherries in mid-August can help retailers differentiate their programs as premium, Pepperl said in the release.

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About the Author:

Tom Karst

Tom Karst is national editor for The Packer, covering issues of importance to the produce industry including immigration, farm policy and food safety.
He began his career with Vance Publishing Corp., The Packer's parent company, in 1984 as one of the founding editors of ProNet, a pioneering electronic news service for the produce industry. Tom has also served as markets editor for The Packer and editor of Global Produce magazine in his time at Vance Publishing, among other positions.
Tom is also the main author of Fresh Talk, www.tinyurl.com/freshtalkblog, an industry blog that has been active since November 2006.
Previous to Vance, Tom worked from 1982 to 1984 at Harris Electronic News, a farm videotext service based in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from Kansas State University, Manhattan.
He can be reached at tkarst@thepacker.com and 913-438-0769. Find Tom's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/tckarst.